Reinforced Monofilament Line

ABSTRACT

A monofilament line includes an elongated filament having a matrix material surrounding one or more of a carbon fiber reinforcement, wherein the elongated filament is configured to have a cross section throughout the length thereof with one or more of the carbon fiber reinforcement and a surrounding matrix material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nylon monofilament fishing lines first went on sale in 1939. Over the years other materials with improved qualities have become available. Currently there are many applications for which monofilament lines are used. Some of these uses include fishing lines, “invisible” lines for special effects, strings for musical instruments and sports rackets, lines for vegetation trimmers, sewing threads, decorative tapes, woven ribbons, webbing in outdoor furniture, bristles for brushes, thread for industrial textiles, apparel, home furnishings, floor coverings, and more.

Monofilament line is fabricated using any one of several materials. Typically, a thermoplastic polymeric is melted and drawn though a single or multi-head extrusion die to develop the size and shape desired. However, mechanical, thermal, chemical, and other types of processes can also be used for making monofilament line from various materials.

Carbon fiber consists of fibers made of carbon atom crystals. The fibers are usually 5-10 um in diameter. Carbon fiber tow is produced by combining several thousand carbon fibers onto a filament or strand with a very small cross-section. Carbon fiber exhibits very high strength to weight and strength to size ratios. Tows can also be combined together by weaving, twisting, braiding, bonding, or other means to form larger filaments, strands, threads, bundles, yarn, etc. Compared to most other fibers, carbon fibers have superior tensile strength, chemical resistance, and temperature resistance.

For the purpose of this application, the terms “carbon fiber”, “carbon fibers”, “carbon fiber reinforcement”, “carbon fiber reinforcements”, and “carbon fiber reinforcement(s)” are used to mean carbon fiber tow(s), filament(s), strand(s), thread(s), bundle(s), yarn, or any other embodiment of carbon fibers.

The present application includes a method of producing the invention which can be adapted to most if not all monofilament line manufacturing processes. The most common processes usually consist of extruding some type of thermoplastic polymeric material. This method is shown in the illustrations, wherein the thermoplastic polymeric is formed around one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement, so as to make a product wherein the thermoplastic polymeric fully envelops the carbon fiber reinforcement. The invention can be manufactured using any type of matrix material that would be used for manufacturing monofilament lines, and the resulting monofilament line can be any design, such as various cross sections, shapes, or embodiments, with the added carbon fiber reinforcement. The carbon fiber reinforcement added to the monofilament line greatly increases its resistance to both wear and breakage and extends its useful life. Any of the existing manufacturing methods for monofilament line can be easily modified to incorporate the method described herein or a variation thereof to produce monofilament line with carbon fiber reinforcement.

The resulting reinforced product will be a stronger monofilament line which in turn will enhance the performance and life of the products in which it is used. Such products might include monofilaments for grass trimmers where the added strength and resistance to both breakage and wear is beneficial, fishing lines where a high strength to weight ratio is desirable, as well as strings for musical instruments or sport rackets where resistance to stretching could be a benefit. For example, in grass trimmers monofilament line is consumed by a combination of abrasion and breakage. When used in grass trimmers the invention will allow trimmer line to resist both wear and breakage, extending its useful life. Smaller diameter line cuts grass and weed material easier than larger diameter line. Stronger line in a smaller diameter allows for higher RPM's with reduced energy consumption. In other applications, such as fishing line, a high strength to weight ratio is desirable. The proposed invention utilizes carbon fibers, which have been shown to have one of the highest strength to weight ratios. Other applications such as musical instrument strings and sport racket strings require stability and resistance to stretching. Here, too, the proposed invention offers superior characteristics when compared to other products. Not only will carbon fiber reinforced monofilament line increase the performance of existing products, it could potentially create new products and new uses as well.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of monofilament line and more specifically to an improvement in the monofilament line used in many applications.

Monofilament line has been in use for many years primarily as fishing line and grass trimmer line. Other uses of the invention include musical instrument strings, sport racket strings, and any other application where monofilament line can be used.

It is desirable for monofilament line to have a small diameter and high strength in applications such as fishing line and vegetation trimmers, resistance to stretching in products such as sports racquet strings and musical instrument strings, and wear resistance in almost all applications. Various materials and designs have been used to achieve these results with varying degrees of success.

The majority of failures of monofilament line are due to tension. Line breakage in almost all applications can be tremendously frustrating and burdensome. For example, if a fishing line breaks, a trophy fish can escape after a user has exerted considerable effort to get it onto land or into a boat. When a weed trimmer line breaks, line usage and costs are increased. Accordingly, there is currently a need for a monofilament line that is more durable than a conventional line.

Others have tried incorporating various reinforcements within monofilament line. Reinforcing materials that have been tried include fiberglass and various metals, among other things; however, in some applications such as trimmer line some materials can be hazardous to humans. The proposed invention addresses this need by providing a monofilament line formed with one or more than one reinforcement of carbon fibers that significantly enhance the monofilament line's strength and durability. Carbon fiber is relatively safe and non-toxic in most if not all of the current uses of monofilament line. Adding carbon fiber reinforcement dramatically increases the tensile strength so failures are substantially reduced, providing a better more trouble-free experience when trimming vegetation, fishing, playing sports, playing music, etc.

The proposed invention is comprised of a matrix consisting of a thermoplastic polymeric material and a reinforcing material consisting of carbon fibers. The composite line is comprised of one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement surrounded by a polymeric material, such as nylon, dacron, polyethylene, stren, dyneema, polyvinylidene fluoride, polybenzimidazole, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, copolyester, polyphenylene sulfide, polylactic acid type polymer, aliphatic polyester, etc. The line is normally fabricated by extrusion through a die, except the carbon fiber reinforcement is fed into the process so that it passes through the extruding die and the monofilament line is formed around the reinforcement so as to make a fully enveloped product.

Carbon fibers can be treated with chemicals called sizing, to improve adherence to the surrounding matrix. Examples of such chemicals include polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl alcohol, aminosiloxane, glycerine, alkylene glycol, polyalkylene glycol, polycarbonate, urethane, polyamideimides, acrylic ester resins, aliphatic polyester urethane resins, ethoxylated nonylphenol, ethoxylated alkyl phenol, polyurethane, polyhydroxyether, epoxy, nylon, vinyl ester resin, etc.

In the invention, one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement can be used according to the characteristics required by the product specifications. For example, a fishing line might employ a 7×7 braided array. That is, 7 bundles of 7 fibers. This yields a total of 49 fibers with an overall diameter of approximately 0.002″. This very small overall diameter allows for easy packaging in almost any monofilament line with a diameter of 0.010″ or more. Such reinforcement could improve the parting strength from 10 pounds to 20 pounds or more while not affecting any of the other parameters. Adding 4 bundles of 7×7 strands of carbon fiber to a 0.065″ diameter trimmer line could increase the breakage and wear factor by 100%. There are many other possibilities of manufacture that may be better suited for other applications.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved monofilament line.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a monofilament line with an outer matrix surrounding one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a monofilament line having increased strength.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a monofilament line having increased wear resistance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a monofilament line having increased resistance to stretching.

At least one or more of the foregoing objects, together with the advantages thereof over the known art relating to monofilament lines, which shall become apparent from the drawings and the description that follow, are accomplished by the invention as herein described and claimed.

In general, aspects of the present invention are accomplished by providing a monofilament line including a first component material, typically comprised of thermoplastic polymeric material, and a second component material, comprised of carbon fiber reinforcement, combined to form a monofilament extrusion with said carbon fiber reinforcement surrounded by said polymeric matrix.

Monofilament lines incorporating the concepts of the present invention are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings without attempting to show all of the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied, the invention being measured by the appended claims and not by the details of the specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a representative cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the present invention showing one carbon fiber reinforcement.

FIG. 2 is a representative cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention showing more than one carbon fiber reinforcement.

FIG. 3 is a representative cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention showing carbon fiber reinforcements of different sizes.

FIG. 4 is a representative cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention showing a combination of carbon fiber reinforcement and a reinforcement using another material.

FIG. 5 is a representative cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention showing concentric reinforcements.

FIG. 6 is a representative cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention showing more than one reinforcement twisted together.

FIG. 7 is a representative cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention showing carbon fiber reinforcements and reinforcements using a different material with different sizes, concentric, and attached to one another.

FIG. 8 is a representative cross-sectional view of another possible embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram explaining the process of manufacturing monofilament line according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, the terms “carbon fiber”, “carbon fibers”, “carbon fiber reinforcement” and “carbon fiber reinforcements”, and “carbon fiber reinforcement(s)” are used to mean carbon fiber tow(s), filament(s), strand(s), thread(s), bundle(s), yarn, or any other embodiment of carbon fibers.

In accordance with the present invention, a carbon fiber reinforced monofilament line is comprised of a matrix material and one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement suspended longitudinally within the matrix as described below.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 through 8 thereof, several embodiments of a carbon fiber reinforced monofilament line are schematically shown. As shown, a carbon fiber reinforced monofilament line 1 is comprised of a matrix material 2 and one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement 3 within the matrix material. Carbon fiber reinforcement(s) 3 are comprised of carbon fiber tow(s), filament(s), strand(s), thread(s), braid(s), yarn, etc.; or carbon fiber tow(s), filament(s), strand(s), thread(s), braid(s), yarn, etc. twisted, braided, bonded or joined together in some manner; or any other embodiment of carbon fibers. There may also be present within the matrix material one or more other reinforcements 4 comprised of other materials such as plastic, fiberglass, metal, etc.

During manufacture of the present invention, said carbon fiber reinforcement 3 is incorporated into said matrix material 2 to produce said finished monofilament line 1. Other processes may precede or follow the adding of said carbon fiber reinforcement 3 to said matrix material 2. For example, a sizing agent may be added to said carbon fiber reinforcement 3 before it is introduced into the manufacturing process to increase adherence of said carbon fiber reinforcement 3 to said matrix material 2. In a similar fashion, said carbon fiber reinforcement 3 may be coated with an adhesive to help bond said carbon fiber reinforcement 3 to said matrix material 2. The adhesion of said carbon fiber reinforcement 3 to said matrix material 2 is important and directly affects the strength, performance and durability of said monofilament line 1. Said matrix material 2 may undergo other processes, such as mixing with, being combined with, or being attached to other materials, at any point in the manufacturing process; or said monofilament line 1 may be subjected to other processes, such as cooling, annealing, coating, etc., at any point in the manufacturing process to add strength, durability, abrasiveness, or other desirable characteristics.

With reference to FIG. 9 of the drawings, the parts of a typical manufacturing process are schematically illustrated:

(1) Matrix material preparation station. The most common form of preparation is through high temperature melting. (2) Pumping station. The matrix material is pumped into the extruder die. (3) Carbon fiber reinforcement feeder. This station feeds one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement into each extruder head as required by the product design. (4) Extruder station. The carbon fiber reinforcement is fed into each extruding die opening and the matrix material flows around it, capturing it in accordance with the design specifications. The extruding die(s) can be shaped to create almost any desired cross-sectional configuration, i.e., circular, elliptical, square, triangular, multi-lobed, trapezoidal, hexagonal, etc. or size in accordance with the design specifications. (5) Cooling station. If needed, the temperature of the extruded monofilament line is reduced to a desired range. (6) Drier station. If needed, cooling fluid is evaporated or removed by other means. (7) Other processing station(s). These stations can be located at any point in the process; for example, a station could be added between (1) and (2) to add an internal abrasive grit to the matrix material, or between (5) and (6) to add an external abrasive coating to the extruded monofilament line. (8) Quality control station. (9) Spooling station. The product is collected. (10) To subsequent processing and packaging stations where the monofilament line can undergo any required additional processing and be packaged and shipped.

Typical manufacturing steps are carried out as follows:

-   (1) Matrix material is prepared for extruding. -   (2) Matrix material is pumped toward an extruder head. -   (3) Carbon fiber reinforcement is introduced and aligned with the     extruder head. -   (4) Matrix material and carbon fiber reinforcement pass through the     extruder head forming carbon fiber reinforced monofilament line. -   (5) Extruded carbon fiber reinforced monofilament line may be     further processed through a cooling bath, dryer, annealing, dyeing,     coating, marking, etc. to yield the finished product. -   (6) Finished product is collected. -   (7) Product may be further processed and packaged.

The monofilament line according to the present invention is typically formed by pumping the polymeric matrix material through an extruder die. Carbon fiber reinforcement is fed through said extruder die wherein said matrix material is molded around said carbon fiber reinforcement to form said finished carbon fiber reinforced monofilament line.

The invention is not limited to one carbon fiber reinforcement or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement of the same size. For example, other embodiments could consist of:

-   1. more than one carbon fiber reinforcement of different sizes, -   2. more than one carbon fiber reinforcement with at least two of the     reinforcements being concentric, -   3. more than one carbon fiber reinforcement where two or more of the     reinforcements are woven, bonded, twisted, braided or in some other     manner attached to each other, -   4. one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement and one or more     than one reinforcement of one or more other materials, -   5. one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement and one or more     than one reinforcement of one or more other materials with at least     two of the reinforcements being of different sizes, -   6. one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement and one or more     than one reinforcement of one or more other materials with at least     two of the reinforcements being concentric, -   7. one or more than one carbon fiber reinforcement and one or more     than one reinforcement of one or more other materials where two or     more of the reinforcements are woven, bonded, twisted, braided or in     some other manner attached to each other.

Therefore, the above-described invention is not limited to the exact details of construction and enumeration of parts provided herein. While a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. Furthermore, the size, shape and materials of construction of the various components can be varied without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Although there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and drawings; the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS AND APPLICATIONS

The proposed invention can be incorporated into any embodiment of monofilament line such as those disclosed in the following patents and applications:

U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,436 discloses a fishing line that uses various numbers, types and sizes of filaments within a body to form a casting line with varying density, rigidity and elasticity U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,884 discloses a polyamide monofilament having a microporous surface layer U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,239 discloses a monofilament weed cutter with varying cross section U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,055 discloses a star shaped cutting line U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,465 discloses a monofilament trimmer line with longitudinal cutting edge(s) U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,774 discloses a cutting filament U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,292 discloses a fishing line with shaped surfaces U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,943 discloses a multicomponent extruded vegetation cutting line U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,815 discloses a trimmer line with longitudinal outward extending cutting edges U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,025 discloses an abrasive filled filament U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,350 discloses a cutting line filled with inorganic grit material U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,482 discloses a trimming line wherein the angle of the cross-section varies along the longitudinal axis U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,942 discloses a weed trimmer line with a coating of wax U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,816 discloses a grass and weed cutting line which is elliptical or teardrop in cross-section U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,462 discloses a double-strand monofilament trimmer line U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,128 discloses a monofilament line with at least one sharp cutting edge extending longitudinally U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,233 discloses a cutting string with less drag U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,911 discloses a cutting filament with radial undulations U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,034 discloses a double strand monofilament line U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,292 discloses a cutting string with less drag U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,697 discloses a cutting line or fishing line made of synthetic materials U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,837 discloses a twisted monofilament trimmer line U.S. Pat. No. 6,560,878 discloses a multicomponent extruded vegetation cutting line U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,226 discloses a trimmer line with a granular coating U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,997 discloses a fishing line with central core of metal and metal salt particles U.S. Pat. No. 6,874,235 discloses a cutting wire with varying cross-section U.S. Pat. No. 6,910,277 discloses a 2 monofilament strands bonded together in a twisted disposition U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,231 discloses a cutting line with notches to reduce noise U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,424 discloses a cutting string with co-extruded cutting appendage along the leading edge or trailing edge U.S. Pat. No. 7,406,797 discloses a fishing line with core and plurality of coatings U.S. Pat. No. 7,543,387 discloses a cutting filament with teeth U.S. Pat. No. 7,607,233 discloses a cutting wire with teeth U.S. Pat. No. 8,025,970 discloses a monofilament fishing line U.S. Pat. No. 8,276,312 discloses a fishing line with shaped surfaces US 20030033960 discloses a biodegradable trim line US 20050081389 discloses a cutting filament with a cutting edge US 20050172501 discloses various embodiments of trimmer line with a thickness less than the width US 20050188547 discloses a cutting string with co-extruded cutting appendage US 20060254062 discloses a twisted trimmer line with various cross sections US 20070123092 discloses a cutting wire surrounded by a skin US 20070256309 discloses 2 monofilament lines twisted together US 20080141593 discloses an abrasive cutting string US 20110061309 discloses an abrasive cutting string US 20120208021 discloses a cutting line with longitudinal recesses US 20120219761 discloses an odd shaped trimmer line CN 201110258101 discloses a monofilament line reinforced with several materials, including glass fibers, polytetrafluoroethylene, carbon nanotubes, and various metals. EP 0673194 discloses a monofilament trimmer line with longitudinal cutting edges EP 1129609 discloses a single twisted line with varying cross section EP 1721503 discloses monofilament line with various cross sections WO 1994013127 discloses a monofilament trimmer line with longitudinal cutting edges WO 1995006402 discloses 2 paired lines bonded together WO 2013057748 discloses a trimmer line made of biodegradable material Following are some patents and applications which disclose various methods for treating or preparing carbon fibers which can be incorporated into the proposed invention: U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,343 discloses a process for producing carbon fiber tows U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,924 discloses a polycarbonate sizing finish U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,671 discloses continuous carbon filament fiber bundles U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,947 discloses a urethane sizing agent for carbon fiber U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,575 discloses a method for producing carbon fibers by overwrapping polyacrylonitrile tows before oxidizing U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,025 discloses sizing agent for carbonizable fiber and a method for manufacturing carbon fiber with the use of the sizing agent U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,046 discloses a polyamideimides sizing for carbon fiber U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,146 discloses a sizing that can be removed by heating U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,063 discloses polyethylene and polyhydroxyether sizings U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,423 discloses acrylic fiber tows for carbon fiber production and a method for producing same U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,443 discloses a process for producing carbon fiber yarn U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,624 discloses a carbon fiber precursor fiber bundle and method for manufacturing same U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,523 discloses a carbon fiber precursor fiber bundle U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,468 discloses a carbon fiber sizing agent using epoxy U.S. Pat. No. 7,135,516 discloses water-soluble thermoplastic resin sizing agent U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,913 discloses sizing agent for carbon fiber using an epoxy compound U.S. Pat. No. 7,585,558 discloses sizing agent for carbon fiber using epoxy resin and vinyl ester resin US 20090162653 discloses a carbon fiber bundle coated with a sizing agent containing a an epoxy resin US 20130309490 discloses a carbon fiber braid coated with heat resistant sizing The proposed invention can be manufactured by modifying any monofilament line manufacturing process such as those disclosed in the following patents and applications: U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,094 discloses a method for producing filaments of heat-softenable materials U.S. Pat. No. 3,161,708 discloses a process and apparatus for manufacturing monofilaments U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,687 discloses a process for manufacturing a monofilament U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,480 discloses a process for the preparation of a fly fishing line with various coatings U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,511 discloses a process for drawing polyamide monofilaments using spinning, quenching, drawing and winding U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,344 discloses a method of and apparatus for making a fishing line U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,176 discloses a process for forming double-strand monofilament line U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,172 discloses a method of manufacture for flexible cutting line U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,483 discloses a fly fishing line and method for manufacturing of same U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,197 discloses a process for producing monofilament for use as racket strings U.S. Pat. No. 7,829,002 discloses a method for producing plant cutting filaments US 20110098399 discloses a cutting filament filled with platelet-shaped particles and method of producing such a cutting filament

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1. A monofilament line comprising: an elongated filament comprising: a first reinforcement material extending through the center of the elongated filament; and a second reinforcement material positioned outside and touching the first reinforcement material; a matrix material surrounding a carbon fiber reinforcement material extending outside and along the first reinforced material, and surrounding the first reinforcement material and the second reinforcement material.
 2. A monofilament line according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the carbon fiber reinforcement is treated with a sizing agent or a bonding agent to increase adhesion of the carbon fiber reinforcement to the matrix material and to the fiber reinforcement. 3-5. (canceled)
 6. A monofilament line comprising: an elongated filament having: a carbon fiber reinforcement material extending coaxially along a length of the elongated filament; a reinforcement material configured to peripherally surround the carbon fiber reinforcement; and a resin matrix material surrounding the carbon fiber reinforcement material and the reinforcement material. 7-11. (canceled) 